Page 21 of A Soul to Embrace

She tilted her head at him for his incomprehensible words, taking in that his tone was at least calm and quiet. His voice was deeper than normal and had a groggy hint to it.

And although she didn’t know his words for any of the body parts in his language, she keenly observed the male creature as he moved around inside her burrow.

He sat up and crossed his legs, positioned his back straight, and stretched by lifting his shoulders up and back, which arched his torso forward. His face twitched as though he found it uncomfortable before leaning his head one way and then the next until cracks sounded.

Then he pushed back the material covering his head, revealing the long flowing fur upon it. On the left side, a bald patch formeda semi-circle around his pointed ear. It started from the ridge above his temple and followed it to the nape of his neck.

From memory, it hadn’t been so rounded or smooth before, as if he’d somehow reshaped it in their time apart. She also noticed earlier that he’d clothed his torso, and changed his leg coverings so they no longer looked like dirty, torn rags.

NoName chittered at him, wanting to compliment these changes since he obviously preferred them.

Was he a pretty male? She’d like to think so, not that she truly had anything to compare him to. She also thought little creatures were cute.

The male pulled his bag from where he’d been laying his head upon it and obtained some kind of sack. He drank from it, and the familiar smell of the same wet substance she fell into tingled in her nose hole.

Easily impressed by the existence of such an item, she chittered again at the ingeniousness of ferrying one’s own liquid.

Once he was done, he laid the sack down and placed his hands on his legs. He raised the strip of face fur above his eye, and she tightened her back against his only possible way out, with her orbs reddening in annoyance. She wouldn’t let him leave, and she had no intention of being tricked again due to him being naughty.

“Alright, Mavka. Let us start your lessons,” he stated calmly. Then he pointed to his chest. “Me.” He pointed to her. “You.”

He only needed to repeat it once before she got the idea, and her small tail tuft swayed in joy. He was teaching her more words! Did that mean he didn’t intend to leave? She sincerely hoped so.

She pointed at him. “Me,” she repeated, before pointing at herself. “You.”

Her tail swayed faster when he let out a small chuffing noise, as the sound was so light and warm that she wanted it to mean something good.

“No,” he answered with a shake of his head, instantly making her shoulders drop.

She knew whatnomeant: a denial.

He leaned closer to grab her wrist. NoName instantly let out a growl, her orbs reddening, and evaded his touch. She refused to be tricked again.

Yet, despite her warning, he grabbed her! He curled her fingers, no matter how loudly she warned him back, and tugged her arm, forcing her to point at her own chest.

“Me,” he stated, before turning her hand to point at him. “You.”

Her growls softened, and she tilted her head, puzzled.

He made her point at herself, while he did so to his own chest. He repeated the word ‘me’ before making them point at each other with the word ‘you’ echoing from his lips.

Understanding dawned. When he released her, she repeated what he’d shown her, and this time he nodded.

“Yes. That’s correct.” He pointed to his chest once more. “Me, Jabez.” He pointed to her, then both white fur strips over his eyes drew inwards in obvious displeasure. “Well, shit. I forgot I don’t know your name. I doubt you know it either.”

He folded his arms and tapped against his thick biceps with his mouth flattened in thought. He mumbled to himself, “I named Merikh, but I had a pretty deep understanding of who he was before I did. He was an angry fucker, always looking to destroy something.”

He continued to tap his arm as his two lines of face fur drew together further and his hard eyes narrowed.

“How about... Zylah? Although on Earth it means shadow or shade, there’s an Elvish flower in Nyl’theria spelt similarly thatglows black in the sun and white at night, but its pollen stem changes colour depending on the season.” Then he cupped his jaw and tapped the side of his mouth. “It’s quite toxic and exotic. You’re a female Mavka, so I think that is rather fitting.”

All of his useless chattering was completely misunderstood as nothing but him flapping his mouth open and shut while letting out noisy air. NoName twisted her head constantly, but she couldn’t make out his tone amongst all his grumbles and displeased expressions.

“Fuck it.” The male then pointed to himself once more. “Me, Jabez – or Jabeziryth, if we wish to get technical and use my full Elvish name.” Then he pointed to her. “You, Zylah.Zai-luh.”

Then, thinking better of it, he gingerly grabbed her wrist and made her point to herself. He repeated four words constantly – me, you, Jabez, and Zylah – until they were solidified within her mind.

She pointed to herself, and repeated in a grainy, hissy voice,“Zylah.”

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